Last week Wednesday we set off for Greece in what we called our "Farewell to Europe" tour. (The tour consisted of a visit to Greece and a layover in Frankfurt.) We had the itch to see one more place before we make the big move back to Wisconsin at the end of the month. We'd been to Germany, France, and The Netherlands, but we wanted to see something a bit more exotic. Greece it was!
At the Parthenon on the Acropolis
We arrived in Athens on Wednesday afternoon. After taking a taxi to our hotel we set out for the Acropolis. Maybe I didn't do enough research ahead of time, but I didn't realize it would be such a climb getting there! It was HOT (105 degrees) but we made it, and we were rewarded with ancient ruins and a beautiful view of Athens. Athens is a a very dense and far-reaching city - very different than quiet Copenhagen. Brian and I agreed that it was a fun place to visit but we wouldn't want to live there.
A View of Athens
Early Thursday morning we were shuttled to the port where we took a 3-hour ferry ride to the island of Paros. The island is simply gorgeous. All of the buildings are white with blue roofs and trim. That along with the brilliant pink and orange flowers and beautiful blue sky makes for a beautiful setting. We settled into our hotel (which had an amazing view of the sea) and then set out to explore Parikia, the port town on Paros.
Our hotel on Paros
We wandered the narrow streets that seemed to meander in every direction. These were definitely not streets meant for cars. We had dinner at a restaurant that looked out onto the water, and then headed back to our hotel. Friday we slept in and then relaxed by the pool until lunch time. We had a light lunch and all three of us took a nap. We found that is the best way to spend the hot afternoons. Towards evening we ventured back into town and had dinner at Happy Green Cows. The food was delicious. We watched the sunset on the beach before heading back to call it a night.
On a Paros beach
Saturday we took the ferry back to Athens. After again settling into our hotel we set out for Mars Hill, a rocky hill near the Acropolis where it is said Paul stopped to spread the Gospel to the Athenians. The history of this area astounds me. It was another hot climb but again the view was well worth it.
Mom and Oliver on Mars Hill
Sunday morning found us headed to the airport to fly back to Copenhagen. Our time in Greece went by so quickly. We both agreed that we would have liked to spend at least 2 more days there, but that means we left wanting to go back again some day.
We were a bit nervous to make this trip with Oliver only being 7 weeks old, but he proved to be a super traveler. He was great on the airplanes and dozed on and off while we were out and about. The only time he really cried was in the taxis. We couldn't have asked for anything better from him, though it appears we have a little work to do to get him used to riding in cars. We're so glad we decided to take this trip. We saw so much history and so many beautiful sights. To see more of our photos, visit our gallery.
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